


Guide to the Zodiac

by Callmesalticidae, shadow_wasserson



Series: The Gods Have Horns [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Fictional Religion & Theology, Gen, Godstuck, Worldbuilding, fictional nonfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-03-09 06:51:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3240311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callmesalticidae/pseuds/Callmesalticidae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_wasserson/pseuds/shadow_wasserson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short introduction to the twelve gods of the Zodiac.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Prince of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Guide to the Zodiac will update once a month for the next year, starting with the Prince of Hope and ending with the Bard of Rage. Among other things it's a way for us to provide additional worldbuilding that may or may not make its way into the stories proper.

 

> But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence. The least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
> 
> -Lord Byron

**Names & Epithets**

The Prince of Hope, The Emperor, the Aquatic, The White, the White Philosopher, the Wrathful, One Who Leads to Rivers of Self-Knowledge, He Who is Evening and Morning, The Stormcrow, The Prince Who Sits Beside Worshipful Kings, Bearer of the Staff, The Thrice-formed Prince, the Adversary.

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Prince of Hope, written instead of his name, is ♒, the sign of Aquarius.

The Sigil of Hope is a set of six stylized wings.

The colors associated with the Prince of Hope are gold and white, and his sacred color is violet.

Other symbols associated with the Prince of Hope are a white staff or wand, a harpoon, a field of stars, and fire.

 **Appearance/Portrayal** :

The Prince of Hope is seen as a slender man with violet eyes and jagged horns, as well as the grey skin of all gods. A pair of fins project from his cheeks. He wears spectacles and is often portrayed with a streak of purple hair. In some religious art, a purple streak is all that is shown to symbolically represent the Prince’s presence.

The Prince of Hope is usually seen wearing flamboyant and even gaudy clothing, rarely in his plain godhood, and often bedecked with gold jewelry. Sometimes, the sigil of hope is reduced to subtle embroidery or a ring, symbolic of how the Prince manifests against Hope and not alongside it.

The Prince is almost always seen in the possession of a white staff or wand, sometimes said to be a gun or rifle. Such imagery predates the widespread usage of firearms in human civilization.

**Domain/Associations:**

The Prince of Hope is generally associated with Truth, Science, and Critique. He is seen both as one who legitimizes power and authority (in the form of truth and righteousness), and as one who speaks truth to power and tears it down (in the form of criticism).

The Prince of Hope is seen as an antagonistic power in most concepts of the pantheon, setting himself against the other gods simply for the sake of doing so. ‘Playing the Prince’ is thus a term for taking an unpopular stance as though it is correct.

However, at the same time, the Prince of Hope picks his battles, defending that which is  _true_  above that which may feel good, seem good, or is popularly accepted as good. Honesty, with oneself and with others, is the cardinal virtue of the Prince. He is thought of as rational.

The Prince of Hope is associated with the contrasting emotions of humility and self-righteousness, and is sometimes thought of as one who judges whether the wicked should be destroyed, or given a second chance. He is a purifying god, though it is often emphasized that he will purify only those who he judges worthy, and that the holy cleansing is not necessarily a pleasant experience.

 **Major Holiday(s):**  

Truth Day is the only holiday commonly associated with the Prince of Hope, taking place on the 7th of Aquarius. This holiday is a day of thoughtfulness and introspection, and a day to ‘clean up’ and ‘purify’ one’s thoughts and behavior. Some traditions use the opportunity to do physical cleaning of one’s living space as well.

As with the majority of holidays, Truth Day activities take place in the evening and night. Traditionally, a fire is set, whether in a fireplace or an outdoor firepit. Followers write down their inner lies and deceptions on scraps of paper, anything that they suppress or repress about themselves and their relationship to the wider world. They then burn the scraps, either privately or publicly, symbolically committing to rid the lie from their thoughts. Some traditions encourage followers to read what they wrote aloud, while others allow for more privacy.

In the modern day, a commercial aspect to the holiday has arisen, with ‘packs’ of prefabricated, generalized lies being sold in stores, from which followers can choose whichever best apply to them. This is often a convenient timesaver. However, some followers say that this standardization of an intensely personal event completely misses the point of the holiday.

 **Churches and Cults** :

In the Church of the Zodiac, the Prince of Hope is seen as a counterbalancing force in the pantheon, one who pushes back against  their plans, and as a critic who points out the flaws in their works. Prince-focused worship is generally done on Amporday.

While the Prince’s role in the Zodiac is relatively minor, he is the figurehead of one of the largest, if not the largest, single-deity congregations, the Order of Angels. Known to most of the public by their children’s and youth organization, the Angel Scouts, the Order of Angels is committed to truth both within themselves and in the wider world. Teachers, scientists, and journalists make up a significant fraction of the Order, and spreading truth and information are considered of paramount importance. Angels take pledges (though not in the Blood sense) of complete and radical honesty, and swear to uncover all lies and falsehoods. They also bake damn fine cookies.

All Angels wear the sigil of Hope as their own, and the symbol of the Order is a Caduceus with the sigil at its tip.

In addition to the Order of Angels, a large contingent of journalists worship the Prince of Hope independently, and spread the ideal of truth through the White Papers, underground publications dedicated to uncovering the lies told by society at large. Individual White Paper distributors are sometimes co-opted by radicalism, but in a surprising number of cases they serve as the best source of accurate information. White Papers (and in the modern day, virtual Whitesites) have no centralized authority, forcing readers to remain critical, and to sift the wheat from the chaff. It is widely believed amongst aficionados of the White Pages that the Prince would approve of such media savvy.

 **Prayer and Worship** :

The Prince of Hope rarely answers prayers. Rather, he is said to come to people when they want him least, but need him most. He answers questions that went unasked and tears down the illusions that protect the ego, doing both with a vengeance. He will leave you cleansed, but often hurting badly. The pain is thought of as the passage to becoming a more righteous person.

Worship of the Prince is generally an exercise in self-reflection and self-improvement. For his followers, honesty starts from within themselves.

 **Lore** :

According to Book of the Zodiac, the Prince of Hope is the oldest of the gods, existing before the world and being the cause of not only its creation but also his own. In an act of paradox he birthed himself through his own death, as he slit his throat and was born (somehow for the first time) from the blood that was spilled. How this happened is a source of much theological debate.

In terms of his relationship to other gods, the Prince of Hope is seen as an instigator of conflict, of upset, of turning over the status quo. It is believed that he is generally disliked by the other gods for this reason. In some parables, the Prince is portrayed as being in the right, but more often (in human myth at least) he is seen as being ultimately wrong by some technicality, or sometimes a mixture of the two. Similarly, while his overall role is to punish, and by punishing correct, the willfully ignorant, he is sometimes seen as punishing  _himself_.

The Prince has certain similarities to other deities. Just as the Seer of Mind governs Justice, so the Prince governs Truth, and both are needed for civilization to thrive. In times of peace, these two deities are said to be working together harmoniously, but in times of political strife they are said to be at odds.

The Prince, as a patron of sciences, is often compared and contrasted with the Mage of Doom. Both are said to hold knowledge in high regard, though the Prince is often shown as more exacting and meticulous than the Mage, and less curious and experimental.

Just as all the gods are said to hate and love in the same heartbeat, so with the Prince. He was thought of historically as a consort to the Knight of Blood, with the Prince’s Angels assisting the Brotherhood in every step of the way. Just as often, however, they are seen as sworn enemies.

The Prince of Hope and the Witch of Life are also associated, and connections are often drawn from their similar appearances, as they are the only gods seen to possess fins. However, just what this relationship entails is shrouded in mystery and conflicting accounts.

 **Public Relations** :

In the modern era, the earthly abode of the Prince of Hope is not known to any but the highest ranking Angels, as the god is said to value his privacy. He rarely makes public appearances, though the Order of Angels does derive its authority from him and claims to speak with his voice.

Political leaders will often pay lip service to the Prince and make donations in his name to the Angels or to research foundations. This often only draws attention away from the fact that few politicians were even Angel Scouts as youths, and none in recorded history have ever actually been active members of the Order of Angels.


	2. The Witch of Life

 

 

> “In nature, there is less death and destruction than death and transmutation.“
> 
> \- Edwin Way Teale

**Names and Epithets**

The Witch of Life; The Culler; Mother Sea; the Witch of the Salt; She Who Mixed the Waters and Bore Them All; She Who Wears the Skirt of Snakes; She Who Dwells in the Deep; Mother Whose Children Are Like Fish; the Bitch of Life (derogatory)

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Witch of Life, written instead of her name, is ♓, the sign of Pisces.

The Sigil of Life is a pair of green vines or tentacles, rearing back in an expression of movement.

The colors associated with the Witch of Life are green and brown, earthy colors, and her sacred color is imperial purple.

Other symbols associated with the Witch of Life are a trident (more ominously a “culling fork”), a crown, the waves of the sea, fish (especially predatory fish or schools of fish), and the conch.

**Appearance/Portrayal**

The Witch of Life is portrayed as a woman, often rounded and curvy in silhouette, with long, wavy hair, fuchsia eyes, and fins. Her horns curve back gently from her head, and her skin is the same gray seen in all gods.

The portrayal of the Witch is more dualistic than most. She is sometimes shown wearing gossamer silks, her stomach swollen in pregnancy, and surrounded by peaceful beasts of the field and sea.

Other times, she is seen as lean and hungry, dressed in rags or nothing at all, clutching or even gnawing a bone. These contradicting portrayals signify the ambiguity of nature’s relationship to civilization.

The Witch is said to wear brighter colors mixed with the earth tones of her godhood, and to be frequently accompanied by animals of various sorts.

**Domain/Associations**

The Witch of Life is said to be a goddess of nature, adaptation, and natural cycles. She presides over her namesake in all its manifestations. She is a god of love, in a way, but not a god of mercy.

If she loves the deer as she would her own child, then the wolf which tears at its flesh is her child as well. Smallpox was her child, and the furor with which humankind fought and destroyed it was a part of the natural world as well, and she smiled upon the both of them and pronounced it all good.

It is not uncommon for people to believe that the Witch is concerned with individual lives. It is what people _want_ to believe. Her concern, however, is with life itself. It is the way of things for the weak to be consumed, by predation or disaster or illness, and for the old to die in their manner and give way to the young. It is the process of life with which she is concerned. 

As such, the Witch of Life is a key figure in evolution. It is believed by many that she can take any creature and warp it into something wholly new, either over the course of generations or in a single moment. Determining which changes in the fossil record are due to the Witch’s intervention and which are spontaneous is a common cause of paleontological headache.

**Major Holidays**

The most important holiday on the Witch’s calendar takes place in the month of Pisces, when the Northern Hemisphere’s winter is just barely beginning to give way to spring. Thanksgiving, also known as Eucharist, is a celebration of survival, but its expression is significantly different in different parts of the world.

In warm climates, where the ground has thawed by late Pisces, Thanksgiving is a joyful holiday, a celebration of spring and the planting of crops, the birth of animals, and otherwise renewing of life. It is generally a communal holiday, where large groups get together and contribute to a stew with whatever is left of their winter stores. The folktale of “Stone Soup” is often associated with Thanksgiving.

In colder climates, where Pisces is too early for snowmelt, observance of Thanksgiving is more somber, a time of gratitude for having survived the winter. In the north, late winter and early spring is the starvation time, and though food is still shared, it is rarely a feast. Instead, a loaf of bread, or any other staple food, is split and shared within the members of a household. Generosity to those in need is also encouraged, for those who have food to spare. Taking in a needy stranger is always considered a virtue by the Witch’s followers.

Since the ground thawing is also the time when burials can be performed, the Witch is also associated with death and funerary rights, though not so much as the Maid of Time. At the end of Pisces, in some parts of the world, a large funeral service is held for all those who died over winter.

This ritual differs from other funeral in its traditional prayers, which make many references to the powers of nature and the joys of living, not usual subjects for a funerary service.

**Churches and Cults**

In the Church of the Zodiac, the Witch of Life is the one who, after the creation of the universe, found it stillborn. Unsatisfied with an infinite expanse of rock and light, the Witch created water, and spread it, and used it to instill the dead minerals of the stars with a spark of life. She has since patrolled the universe, ensuring that life continues to spread. Witch-focused worship is generally conducted on Piexday.

There is no single large Church that worships the Witch alone. However, there are many small, minor churches devoted to her, as well as some that focus on the Witch along other gods. Many of these are the so-called Life’s Return, or “Paleo” cults (the latter a somewhat derogratory term, but one that is being reclaimed), which advocate a retreat from the modern world and technology, in favor of a more ‘pure’ or ‘true’ lifestyle that is more close to the ideals first created by the Witch.

In a less extreme expression, these cults are associated with environmental activism and environmentally-motivated civil disobedience.

Other forms of Witch-worship find expression in the militaries of the world, where the idea of killing to survive finds an eager audience. These cults are often underground and not explicitly supported by military institutions, but persist regardless.

Another congregation of note is the Temple of Overflowing Life, a dual-deity church that links the vitality of the Witch with the physicality of the Knight of Blood. This church displays some of the more extreme worship practices, and its legality is controversial, but its numbers are growing.

**Prayer and Worship**

A common theme in worship of the Witch is the idea of the life cycle, that the living inevitably die, but that death also feeds into life. “You to death, me to life” is a typical refrain.

The Witch is said by some to answer the prayers of those who want to live so badly that they will do anything to not die, though most also agree she will not help the utterly helpless. She helps those who first help themselves.

Cannibalism has been well-represented in Witch worship through the years. When the winter brought death by starvation it was considered sacrilege by the Witch’s most dedicated followers to let the dead rot and be wasted. Those who died were meant to give strength to those who still lived. In addition, eating the flesh of warriors fallen in battle was once a common Witch-related practice in parts of premodern Mesoamerica. 

It was believed that doing so was respectful to the fallen, turning their death into one’s own life, and that by doing so a soldier could absorb the powers of the enemy. Today, this practice is illegal, but finds expression in the military-based Witch cults, both in Mesoamerica and elsewhere. Here, dogtags and other items, even personal effects, are often taken from fallen enemy soldiers. Interestingly, the motivation is to keep these not as trophies but as symbols of remembrance and respect.

The Temple of Overflowing Life takes reenaction of the myth “The Eaters of the Witch” (see “Lore” below) quite literally, and traditionally performed ritualistic communal bloodletting and drinking of blood, in a dual-god ritual that is believed to both bind the congregation to each other and to share vitality. Traditionally, a single cup of combined blood is passed around, from which everyone takes a sip. Usually, sickly people are given a greater share of the communal blood, and are not expected to donate. With modern medical tests, this practice is safer than it once was, but is still cautioned against by most health officials.

A far more common practice in worship of the Witch is to bathe. Bathhouses, often made largely of colored and transparent glass, are built alongside natural springs and dedicated to the Witch. Often, in such Houses of Dew and Glass, nudity is acceptable and expected, even in the presence of the opposite sex. In the House, everyone is rendered as shameless and clean of morality as an animal. Even in the modern day, most Houses are given religious exemptions to public decency laws, though the potential for abuses in the Houses (such as age limits) are more strictly regulated.

**Lore**

Some say, in the time before time, before the foundations of the world had been set, the Witch of Life called the Mage of Doom to her bed. The latter answered, but promptly smashed in the Witch’s skull. It was not blood which issued out, but rather water, both fresh and salt. The story tells how all life is begotten of death, and how the two may not be separated from each other.

All the gods have stories told about their deaths, and some are said to have died often. Stories of the Witch’s death and resurrection are more common than most, and how she, and other gods, continue to live despite dying is a matter of theological debate.

A major myth, “The Eaters of the Witch,” is believed to have originated in Scandinavia. It tells of a woman who, half-starving and fleeing a winter storm, knocked at the door of an isolated farmhouse and begged for entry in. The family, despite being in dire straits themselves, gave her all they had. When she asked them why, they said that they did not have enough food to make it through the winter, but if it was given to her alone then at least one might survive. Upon hearing this, the woman revealed herself to be the Witch of Life and declared that she was most pleased with their desire to see someone, even a stranger, survive through the winter. Taking a knife in her hand, she commanded to them to take it from her, and cleave the flesh from her bone, and eat.

Each night they brought the knife against her, and ate, and each morning she was whole again, until spring arrived and they had food once more. The Witch left without another word, but her blessing lived on, and the family was said to live for unusually many years and bear unusually strong children for many generations.

Some of the minor temples that hold to afterlife theory often say that those who die in defense of their children are held forever in the care of the Witch. The Zodiac Church rejects this idea.

The Witch is usually seen as being on good terms with the rest of the pantheon. She is often mentioned as a consort of the Mage of Doom, though as with all gods, the precise manifestation of this relationship differs from one telling to another.

The nature of the Witch’s relationship to the Prince of Hope is contentious and unclear.

**Public Relations**

The Witch of Life spends much of her time off-world, generally out of the public eye. When she does come to Earth, it is often to one of several “Gardens,” usually islands but occasionally other isolated habitats both above and below water. The Gardens are holy places where she does her work, shaping life on a limited scale. The Witch’s followers maintain that she is not limited to the Gardens by any outside force, but rather that she keeps to these areas out of a desire to not harm the rest of the Earth’s creatures.

Occasionally, a novel life form traced to the Gardens is found living and breeding in the wider environment. Whether these releases/escapes are planned or accidental is usually left up to rumor.


	3. The Maid of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "Prayers and Worship" section had accidentally been replaced with a double-fill from "Holidays." Oop. 
> 
> As of 4/23/2015 this has been fixed.

> “Time is the very lens through which ye see— small and clear, as men see through the wrong end of a telescope— something that would otherwise be too big for ye to see at all. That thing is Freedom: the gift whereby ye least resemble your Makers and least of all the Maid… For every attempt to see the shape of eternity except through the lens of Time destroys your knowledge of Freedom.”  _The Great Divorce_ , by C. S. Lewis.  

**Names and Epithets**

The Maid of Time; The Clockwork Witch; She of the Thousand Deaths; The Destroyer; Holy and Unborn; The Lady Before the Gate; Queen of the Art of Dancing; The Knocker at the Door

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Maid of Time, written instead of her name, is ♈, the sign of Aries.

The Sigil of Time is a gear. It symbolizes the nature of time, which proceeds without and despite interference.

The color associated with the Maid of Time is red. Her sacred color is burgundy.

Other symbols associated with the Maid of Time are an hourglass, a whip, a skull (especially that of a ram or boar), a wheel, and rust, which represents the passing of time and decay.

**Appearance/Portrayal**

The Maid of Time is a woman. She is usually depicted as skinny, even gaunt, almost a corpse herself. In some cases she really  _is_  a corpse, or else is portrayed as an automaton of interlocking gears. Often the gears are coated in rust. Her horns are large and spiraling, and she may wear a ram’s skull over her head, doubling the amount of horns. Other times, her head may  _be_  a skull (again, usually that of a ram or a boar).

She is frequently depicted as bearing a scroll in one hand. It is almost always unfurled and there is no end to the kinds of statements which may be on it. While some artists choose to include excerpts of larger writings, most opt for shorter scriptures, such as “I am become Time, destroyer of worlds” or “This, too, shall pass.”

In her other hand she may hold a head or skull, a flute, or a mace, depending on tradition. In South America she is portrayed with feathers in her hair, especially those of a corvid. In Central Asia she wears peacock feathers instead, and is called the Peacock Messenger. A snake may be wrapped around her wrist or waist or be gripped in her hand.  

Her face is painted. Her eyelids are white, but her eyes are encircled by black, and black lines cross her lips from cheek to cheek like a modern Glasgow smile. The shape of a spade is painted over her nose (or where her nose should be). The Maid is a red goddess, but in artwork she is usually depicted surrounded by blue, shining as the only eternal thing in a sea of decay. Even when her face is depicted as an actual skull, which is especially common in sculptures, it is usually painted over in order to give a hyper-realistic exaggeration to its features (for example, by applying white paint over the skull).  

**Domain/Association**

The Maid of Time rules over all things that have a beginning. Which is to say, that she rules over all things that must surely pass away, or all things which but the gods themselves. It is she who puts an end to the fields and forests of the Witch of Life, to the affairs of the Rogue of Heart and the games of the Thief of Light. She has observed all things that have passed, and all events which have not yet occurred.

She is a goddess of foreknowledge, for she has seen all that will come to pass, and she is a goddess of fate, for she works to bring it to pass. The Maid of Time is not exempt from the powerlessness which all are subjected to in the face of time. Far from it; she is the most powerless of all beings, for she alone knows exactly how things must, and therefore will, play out.

**Major Holidays**

Funerals are often held in the month of Aries. Especially in Northern regions the ground was often too cold and hard to dig out graves for those who had starved, and moreover the living could not spare the energy needed to bury them.

The purpose of the Day of the Dead, a holiday held early in Aries, is to reflect upon one’s own mortality, as well as to remember those who have already passed, and to celebrate both their lives and one’s own. The holiday keeps their memories alive through the years and generations. On this night the living put out small lights on the water, candles or paper lanterns, and set them out into the distance. Each light represents one of the dead, and their names are spoken as the flames are lit.

Flowers are lain for the dead, often on and around cardboard skeletons. Tissue-thin paper banners are strung through houses and between buildings. Many families, before they go to send off their lanterns, go to the graveyard to tend to their loved ones’ plots. In some towns there are parades, often led by a person standing in for the Maid of Time. This person may wear the Maid’s face paint or a large mask.

In areas influenced by the Band of the Endless Snake, a now-dead cult which blended elements of Maid and Bard worship, performers dressed as skeletons follow behind the Mock Maid and dance. In addition, the Mock Maid is no single person in these areas but a number of people together. The costume that they wear is long and serpentine, and at the front is a mask which is as large as any person.

**Churches and Cults**

The Maid of Time wears a facemask of white and black paints, but she does not apply it herself. Every morning, she sits before the Migrant Ascetic, who applies it for her. The Migrant Ascetic is the high priest (or priestess) of a singular, small cult, which is dedicated to serving the Ascetic as the Ascetic serves the Maid of Time. They move from place to place each day, often without knowing why but always under the direction of the Maid of Time.

The Blanched Bone Church, a politically active cult from South Africa, calls her White Sister, and the Prince of Hope they call White Brother. Together, the church believes, they created the universe and the other gods. The Hearers of the Unspeakable Name, a gnostic cult dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe, believe that the Lady of the Gods is in truth a being beyond being. The Maid of Time, it is believed, sees across time and walks through it like a river because her true self is beyond time and space as we know it. What mortals see to be the Maid of Time is merely an incarnation, made for this present moment and discarded as soon as the occasion is over, like a suit of flesh and bone.

Several churches and myriad cults call her The First and The Last. They believe that she alone was present in the time before time (though opinions differ on whether she created the other gods) and that she will be the one to destroy it, after all other things have passed away and she is once again alone. Perhaps this has happened many times before. Perhaps it has not.

The Maid stands apart from the other gods in the Zodiac Church’s cosmology. She watches and observes, and when she acts she does so in order to ensure the coming to pass of what which she has already observed. Alone of all the gods she witnesses, every day, the truth that how things are is the way that they must be, and it is the Blessing of Blessings which she has granted to mortals, that they do not see the workings of time as she sees time. Maid-centered worship is usually performed on Megiday.

**Prayer and Worship**

The Maid of Time is also called The Lady of the Six Prayers. Only one of these is meant to supplicate the Maid. The others are a means of cultivating the inner self and focusing desires. For example, the first of the prayers begins:

“Let it be so that I shall seek peace in my world. Let it be so that I shall seek peace in myself. Let it be so that I shall seek peace, so that I may be the way of giving peace to every sentient being.”

While the number and nature of the prayers generally remains constant, the exact language used varies between cultures and traditions. Some forms of the Third Prayer mention hells and heavens and other afterlives, and express an unwillingness to accept peace for oneself until even the fieriest of hells has been quenched, and the coldest of them been warmed. Others completely deny the existence of life after death and instead talk about peace in this life.

These prayers are often spoken to particular sets of music. In many churches beautiful music boxes are crafted for this purpose. Each one plays a particular song, so that six boxes make a complete set. While many people buy mass-produced music boxes, the rich and some of the especially devout commission unique sets.

Music boxes may also be left at the bedsides of the dying. Their purpose here is to soothe the soon-to-be-departed and to inspire a good mood of the Maid of Time when she comes. There are many competing theories on her tastes in music. 

The Carving of the Coffins is a funerary tradition, held upon the death of a loved one. On this day people buy or make caskets for the dead, and reflect on mortality. Morticians are associated with the Maid of Time in no small part due to this practice.

**Lore**

It is said by some that the Witch of Life fashioned humankind, but that she did it at the request of the Maid of Time. The same also say that civilization arose at the feet of the Migrant Ascetics, to serve their needs as they served the Maid of Time, and that all the arts of civilization were derived from what she had taught the Migrant Ascetics. It is for this reason that she is called Queen of the Art of Dancing, and why she is often depicted as holding a flute.

Some whisper that the first of these sayings is a lie, and that the second more true than anyone could believe. They whisper that the Migrant Ascetics are the oldest office of humankind. They whisper that The Maid has sat before the Migrant Ascetics before there was a humankind, and that she will continue to sit before them even after humankind has passed away.

To be “eaten by the Maid” or “in the teeth of the Maid” is to die. The latter can also mean that you are  _close_  to dying. A few traditions, such as those had by the Norse, had or have erotic connotations, and speak of “entering the Maid’s bed.” Even today it is believed by many that this is no idle turn of phrase, but that she engages in trysts with those who are about to die and have caught her fancy.

The Maid of Time is many things to all the gods. It is said, for example, that the Thief of Light has often been her lover. And yet it is also said that they have killed each other more than once in petty feuds, each death being more gruesome than the last. She is often compared to the Seer of Mind, the inevitability of time and death set beside the inevitability of the Seer’s justice, but in truth the Maid seems to care little for such things as justice and law. All die, and she cares for the king as well as she does the beggar, no matter what they may have done in life.

Most of all, however, she is many things to herself. She is her own best friend, her own hated enemy, the only one who can keep solely to her own counsel and yet take her counsel from another. As the Maid of Time moves back and forth across the skein of history she often encounters her own self.

**Public Relations**

Before a person dies, the Maid of Time appears to that person. She answers questions, makes conversation, and attempts to put at ease any worries which the soon-to-be-deceased may have. Those who have caught her favor may be able to make small requests of her. Many dedicate themselves to her service in exchange for the assurance that they will be able to die without the pain of last regrets.

All these things are said to occur “behind the veil,” but it is commonly recognized that this is merely poetry. The Maid of Time does not work invisibly or behind the scenes. Rather, she works  _between_ the scenes, freezing the flow of one moment into the next as she desires, just as she skips from one stone in the river of time to another, as she pleases.

Besides the Migrant Ascetics, the Maid is not known to appear to the members or leaders of any other temple, not even the leaders of the Zodiac Church. Or rather, she appears to  _all_  of them, but no more often than she appears to anyone else. For in the end, everyone meets the Maid of Time.

**Further Reading:**

[The Parable of Wheat and Millstone](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3491384)


	4. The Page of Breath

> “There is freedom waiting for you, / On the breezes of the sky, / And you ask "What if I fall?" / Oh but my darling, / What if you fly?”
> 
> -Erin Hanson

**Names & Epithets**

The Page of Breath, The Keeper of the Small, He Who Tames Wild Beasts, the Skylark, the Lad Eternal, the God of the Wounded, the Holder of Keys.

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Page of Breath, written instead of his name, is ♉, the sign of Taurus.

The Sigil of Breath is two rippling lines, curved like a cresting wave.

The color associated with the Page is blue, and his sacred color is Bronze.

Other symbols associated with the Page are a bull, a feather, clouds, a lance, a broken chain, an open window, and sand.

**Appearance/Portrayal**

The Page of Breath, alone amongst the gods, is usually reported to not look like an adult, but rather like a child, usually estimated as being between eight and twelve years of age. His eyes are bronze, his upward-curving horns disproportionably large and heavy, and his hair usually cropped to only a strip of hair down the center of his head. He may wear a feathered cap or carry a lance, and is often portrayed in flight, or engaging in play with children or with animals.

The Page is sometimes shown wearing his godhood, but more usually he wears whichever clothing is worn by children at the time, and often that worn by poor children. This connects the Page physically with the ‘peasant class’ and ‘commoners’ for whom the Page is often a favorite deity.

It is very unusual for the Page to be portrayed as an adult. Interestingly, when he is, he is also shown as a cripple. The tradition of Page-as-cripple has persisted through time, though never commonly, and unlike most myths of its kind, the Page is considered truly disabled, not simply disguising himself as such. How this can be, when the Page is also seen as an able-bodied child, is a point of divisiveness in the religious community.

**Domain/Associations:**

The Page of Breath is primarily a god of freedom, associated with the sky, wind, air, and travel. In his able-bodied incarnation, the Page is said to exult in movement, and is sometimes seen as a patron of sport and athletics. The Page is also considered a nature god, being closely tied to animals in most myths.

The Page is said to be the breaker of chains and the opener of doors, relieving his followers of their burdens and obstacles. However, though the Page will open the door, he will not usher you through. His gift is the first step to liberty, but not the whole journey. To curry the favor of the Page is to accept that you are responsible for finding your own freedom.

The Page is seen as a protector of the young, the destitute, the sick, and the injured. He is a kindhearted god, a god who is humble and undemanding to even the most wretched beggar. However, to the tyrant he shows himself as a storm, as a breaker of all bonds and one who rends apart the institutions of corruption.

The Page is almost never seen without the presence of animals. Beasts of all kinds flock to him and obey him, as though sensing that he means them no harm. As a result, he is associated with the freedom and unfettered nature of the beasts of the field, the fish of the sea, and the birds of the sky. He is generally not associated with livestock or domesticated animals, though several famous fables describe him loosing animals from their pens and making them wild again.

**Major Holiday(s):**

The holiday most associated with the Page is Passover, an occasion that commemorates the emancipation of slaves. The most notable aspect of Passover is that it is celebrated widely in many varied cultures, both human and extraterrestrial, with each culture claiming that the people freed in the story were their own ancestors. Whether this event has occurred many times in many place, or whether it originated on one world and then spread to others, is yet another mystery of the divine. See “Lore” for the full myth.

Observation of Passover involves a full recitation of the fable, and a feast of ritual foods eaten in a certain order. Variations on the components of the feast are common, but almost always go from the bitterest foods to the sweetest. As an example, the feast may begin with a barley porridge (a simple peasant’s food, which also looks like the mortar worked by slaves), eaten with an extremely salty and bitter pickled vegetable (to represent the harsh bitterness of slavery).  The meal then can progress to blood pudding, a commonly-used dish for which the symbolism has been lost, and then greens dipped in black vinegar, to portray the violence of the beast of darkness. Finally, honeyed and brandied fruits may be eaten, to represent the joys of liberation.

Another, minor holiday that takes place in Taurus is Spring Cleaning (though of course Taurus is not spring in the Southern Hemisphere). This is a time to clean both physically and mentally, though the exact emphasis of this observance varies by culture. Spring Cleaning can be a time to unburden, to throw away unneeded possessions, to forgive debts and wrongs, to end harmful habits, and of course to just clean one’s house.

 **Churches and Cults** :

In the Zodiac cosmology, the Page is the eternal child who brought wonder and joy into the universe. One of the most famous passages of the Book of the Zodiac is a verse that describes the Page’s first flight, and lyrically portrays all the happiness in creation flowing from his exhilarated laughter.

There are few organized churches that worship the Page alone, though he is a secondary god in many traditions, protecting children and the homeless. Most social charities use the Sigil of Breath. However, almost all transient or ‘hobo’ cultures hold the Page as a primary deity. Simple, jury-rigged shrines to the Page are common in areas with a high homeless population. Even more abundant are small, handmade amulets, usually in the form of a Sigil or a miniature birdcage with broken bars, which serve as portable shrines.

Some of the most bizarre theological takes on the Page can be found in India, where ancient scriptures are held up by minor traditions as indicating that the Page is not a god at all. Rather, he is variably a servant, messenger, herald, or envoy of another deity, one who is called “Breath,” but is stated to lack an actual name. Breath is formless and invisible, sometimes said to be a king of gods, or a creator of gods, and the Page is Breath’s physical connection and ambassador to the pantheon. In this sense, the Page is said to have no will of his own, and is merely the puppet of a larger force beyond even the gods’ realms. At some points in the past, and in rare cults today, this tradition has led to monotheism. Naturally, this is considered heresy by the Zodiac Church.

 **Prayer and Worship** :

Prayer to the Page is traditionally done outdoors, under the open sky. Some traditions believe that prayers spoken into a howling wind are those that are most likely to be answered, a line of logic that can lead individuals to brave hurricane-force gales for the sake of praying. The Zodiac Church frowns on such extreme methods of worship, and maintains that the movement of air caused merely by breathing is enough.

When wind is blowing, throwing dust or sand over one’s shoulder is an accepted method of prayer, one that does not even require words or speech. The grit thrown in such silent supplications is said to scour away the burdens from one’s soul and carry them off, leaving the worshipper lighter and freer than before.

 **Lore** :

The Page of Breath is thought of as playful, more so than any other god, a concept tied to his youthful appearance. He is generally a calming force in the Zodiac cosmology, often calming down confrontations between other gods. It is often said that the Page is soft-spoken and slow to anger, but when roused to battle can cause titanic devestation.

The sound of the Page’s wings beating is said to usher in the era of freedom for all people.

While most portrayals of the Page are uplifting and peaceful, the story of Passover is notable in describing the Page’s wrath. The Page, filled with sorrow and rage at the bondage of rightfully-free people, commanded the slaveholders many times to release their slaves, and was defied every time. Eventually, his patience wore out, and he summoned a beast of darkness (sometimes said to be an incarnation of the Thief of Light, sometimes her offspring or creation) to smite the slaveholders. The slaves marked their dwellings with the sigil of the Page for protection, and were ‘passed over,’ while every one of the slaveholders perished by the beast’s hand. And while the slaves celebrated their freedom, and though the slaughter was just, the Page shed tears over the lives lost, and the beast of darkness was never seen again.

The Page is often compared with the Witch, as they are both nature-oriented, and though he is often associated with animals, and is certainly ‘untamed,’ he is rarely called ‘savage’ as the Witch might be.  There are hundreds of conflicting accounts of the Page’s relationship with animals. Sometimes the Page is seen as an incarnation of the child’s view of nature: a peaceable kingdom. Other times the Page runs with the beasts, or tames them, or speaks to them, or frees them, or commands them.

The Page, in his relation to freedom, is also compared with the Bard, but the unlike the Bard, the Page frees his followers from outside influences, not from their own thoughts.

In his adult incarnation, the Page is almost always said to be a consort of the Thief of Light, whether rival or lover. There are some obscure myths that say that the Page became the god of freedom only after escaping slavery at the hands of the Thief, though after he fled, the Rogue snatched half of his heart away and gave it back to the Thief, and this part of him remains captive to this day.

 **Public Relations** :

The Page of Breath is a constant traveler, and though he makes appearances on Earth every few years, he spends most of his time abroad. The Page’s return to Earth is often celebrated by disciples of Breath, and is marked by the Zodiac Church, but these occasions are hardly ever planned or known ahead of time. The Page flies far and wide, and far be it from anyone to know on which winds he soars.


	5. The Mage of Doom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We apologize for the lateness of this update. Also, Ao3 was being a little wonky for us last week, so if you didn't see an update you might be interested to know that Tales of the Holy Planet has a second part to it now, called Godfather Rage.

>  “Thus it is necessary to commence from an inexplicable duality: the finite is not the infinite." 
> 
> Hans Urs von Balthasar

**Names & Epithets: **

The Twofold God; The Temperant God; The Fiery-Eyed One, The God of Small Irritations, Secret of Secrets, The Line Walker, He Who Holds the Keys to Before and Beyond, The Door Frame, The Grand Scribe of the Universe, The CEO (colloquial)

**Symbolism:**

The Symbol of the Mage of Doom, written instead of his name, is ♊, the sign of Gemini.

The Sigil of Doom is a stylized skull with large eye sockets and five small horns. The lower jaw is missing.

The colors associated with the Mage of Doom are black and dark green, and his sacred color is yellow. Often, red and blue are associated with the Mage as well.

Other symbols associated with the Mage of Doom are beehives, lightning, fire, and the brain. In addition, any two, paired, inversely symmetrical objects are considered symbolic and evocative of the Mage.

**Appearance/Portrayal:**

The Mage of Doom is a thin, wiry man, sometimes appearing wizened and old, other times young and lean. He is unique in that he has four horns instead of two, though they are relatively short, pointed, and upcurved. His eyes are rarely seen, but most reports claim that one is pure red, and the other pure blue, neither with a pupil and both glowing as if lit from within. There is no consensus about which eye is which color. Rarely, the Mage is portrayed with both his eyes black and empty. Regardless of their actual color, the Mage nearly always wears red and blue tinted glasses that obscure his eyes.

The Mage has short-cropped hair and is most often seen in his plain godhood, with no further ornamentation. However, he is never seen without being in the possession of at least two portable computers, most commonly with four or more. It is widely agreed-upon that the Mage carried such devices long before they were invented on Earth, and that they were simply thought of as magical in nature until humans began creating circuits.

**Domain/Associations:**

The Mage is a god of boundaries and rules, whose realm extends to categories and the traits that separate one thing from another. He is a god of concepts, knowledge, and reason, and moreover a god of binary decisions and irrefutable facts: yes and no, true and false.

The Mage of Doom is a very practical god, associated with matters of everyday life. Sometimes called the God of Small Irritations, the Mage’s title is often invoked when the details of life block one’s goals.

The Mage of Doom is associated with curiosity and constant progress. He is a god in constant motion.  At the same time, he is said to be a god of hard limits, deadlines, and cut-off points. His domain is one that balances between the two states of being, or by some traditions see-saws between them, a god who grows within bounds. Often, he is compared with a man tied to a pole by one leg, moving as much as he can and stretching as far as possible, but never freeing his leg.

**Major Holiday(s):**

The Solstice Festival (or “Doomsday”) is a major holiday that is associated with the Mage, though it is twofold in its expression, taking place over two days. The first day is Festivus, while the second is Bonfire Night, and though they both take place at the end of Gemini, the two days could not be more different in their traditions.

Festivus, unlike almost any other gods’ holiday, is considered a time of work. The interpretation of ‘work’ is different in different cultures. It can be a day to ‘catch up’ on tasks one has neglected, a time to ‘work out,’ or to test and challenge oneself (usually mentally but sometimes physically), or a time to do ‘good works’ and charity. It is a time to be selfless, a time to toil and strive and plan for the future, but not to receive. It is a day of delayed gratification. Ideally, the experience of working on Festivus should be completely engrossing. Families observing Festivus often erect a plain metal pole prominently in or around their home.

The second day is completely different. Traditionally held on the summer solstice, Bonfire Night is a time to rest and relax, until sunset. At this point, the festivities begin. True to the name, huge bonfires are set in the name of the Fiery-Eyed God, fireworks are set off, and food and drink are shared liberally. The most traditional food is deep-fried brains, though these days deep-fried anything is considered close enough.

The theology behind these holidays is somewhat obscure, but the most repeated story is that the dualistic nature of the Solstice Festival is meant to reflect the tensions inherent in life itself. Festivus is a day to set aside time for the sake of the future, to deny current happiness in return for a potential future reward. But of course, the only thing that is certain about the future is death, and so on Bonfire Night, caution is thrown to the wind, and the revelers behave as though they will die the very next day.

A more whimsical, folkloric take on Bonfire night is that the revelry is an offering of sorts to the Mage, as the noise and lights of the celebration drown out the visions of death that this god is said to be plagued with.

**Churches and Cults:**

The Mage, in the Zodiac cosmology, is said to be the god who takes measure of the universe. He does not alter it, but records the edges of every being and every object for all eternity, and by measuring their edges knows their contents. He is the great census-taker of reality, inscribing what he learns in his “Doomsday Book.” He takes even the measure of the other gods, and lays out, or perhaps discovers, what they can or can’t do.

Most traditions depict the Mage as a younger god than the others, and one who had less of an active hand in creating the universe but a greater hand in organizing it afterward. However, a major exception to this view are the Singular Devotees of the Profound Form, a reasonably large faith that extends through much of eastern asia. The Singular Devotees believe that the Mage in fact created, or at least designed the blueprint for, the universe. He is said to have written or drawn the boundaries of reality so thoroughly that it, having been measured and fully understood, sprang into being, as a living drawing of sorts, or, by some more modern interpretations, as a sort of code. In this tradition, the Mage as mortals perceive him is not the god himself at all, but rather an ‘avatar’ of sorts written into the fabric of the universe, controlled by a much vaster, more distant being. Whether all the gods are such, or whether the Mage created them, is left more vague.

The Mage of Doom is a favorite god of both blue- and white-collar workers in modern society, though there is no organized church around him in that field.

**Prayer and Worship:**

The greatest act of devotion to the Mage is to work. It is said that the Mage never rests, and his disciples attempt, to the extent of their abilities, to emulate his example. It almost does not matter what sort of work is being done, only that progress is being made.

Worship sessions in extremely devout circles are sometimes called “Laborathons,” wherin the faithful work at a task (often a communal one, and usually one that needs to be done anyway) without break or rest for long periods of time. The purpose of a Laborathon is to push one’s own boundaries to the very limit, though individuals do not always take the task on to the same level of extremity. Some may simply work for a period of time at all hours, unless they are eating or sleeping. Others, however, may go without food and sleep for as long as they can. Rarely,  people have died of dehydration while at Laborathon, and most official Zodiac events are attended by trained medics.

It is said that the truly faithful are rewarded by the Mage, in that they are permitted to ask him a question and receive a completely accurate answer. So long as the answer is within the realm of fact, the Mage will be able to answer it. However, whether he gets back to you promptly depends on his other priorities.

**Lore:**

According to the Book of the Zodiac, the Mage once had a twin brother, who he murdered in his sleep. The Mage then devoured his twin’s brain, and absorbed both his knowledge and his power. However, in doing so he incurred a terrible curse on himself, to always have one foot in the grave. It is said that his red eye sees the world of the living, his blue one the world of the dead. What this actually means varies by tradition. The Zodiac Church writes that his blue eye is dead itself, blind and seeing nothing. However, others insist that he sees the afterlife, or the spirits of the restless dead.

The Mage is sometimes said to be a confidant of the Maid, knowing as they both do the limits of all possibilities. He is also associated with the Witch of Life, both as a lover and a murderer. He is generally thought of as being on fair terms with most of the other gods, though there are of course many stories from various cultures of rivalries and romances within the pantheon.

According to several cults, but not the Church of the Zodiac, the Mage was responsible for the invention of written language. This ur-script, though it was able to perfectly describe the universe and convey meaning without ambiguity, was too difficult for mortals to understand and they were forced to adapt it. All modern written languages, so the tale goes, are descended from the language which the Mage wrote. Some of the cults go on to say that this language was mathematics, or similar to programming code, or something stranger yet.

**Public Relations:**

In some ways the Mage of Doom has the most public persona of the gods. While he may not usually be there, everyone knows that he owns a large manor in Upstate New York. He was, in fact, there before the first European settlers; the settlement of Fort Yellow was literally built around his home. While the Prince of Hope may have the Order of Angels and other gods have their own personal cults, only the Mage of Doom is the CEO of a transnational corporation. He frequently appears at company dinners and tech expos, even if he doesn’t say much (or anything at all, depending on his mood).

Still, nobody is allowed past the gates of his home without a prior appointment, and most of the time he stays in his office at SkaiaCorp regardless. He restricts himself to simply directing the company’s activities in most cases and and on those rare occasions that he does intervene personally it is usually with regard to some odd project that is never going to make much money anyway.

 


	6. The Knight of Blood

> "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
> 
> Unknown

**Names & Epithets**

He Who Binds; The Sworn; Uncle; The Eye of Kanaya; The God on the Moon; Teacher of the People; Rising Fire Sparks God; The Exalted One; He Who Covers; The Kitchen God; He of the Oil Jar; Father Blood; Uncle Crab (slightly derogatory, colloquial)

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Knight of Blood, written instead of his name, is ♋, the sign of Cancer.

The Sigil of Blood is a diagonal line (or wound) with three drops of blood running down from it.

The colors associated with the Knight of Blood are brown and red, and his sacred color is red.

Other symbols associated with the Knight of Blood are the sickle, the crab, fire, mist (or fog, or smoke), and the moon, particularly the crescent moon.

**Appearance/Portrayal:**

The Knight of Blood is a short, thickset man, described to have intense, fiery red eyes, and often portrayed with a scowl on his face. His horns are small and rounded, and his hair is unkept.

He is sometimes described as wearing a cloak over his godhood, often of nondescript grey, but just as often is said to be without it. Sometimes, he is said to wear red armor inscribed with his sigil. The Knight is often seen holding a sickle as an instrument of both war and peace, or otherwise to  be empty-handed, usually with both arms extended and with blood dripping from cuts on his palms.

**Domain/Associations:**

In the Zodiac cosmology, The Knight of Blood’s domain is the force that binds the universe as one, that keeps planets and moons in their orbits, that pulls the organs of the body, the cells, the atoms, close to each other. The Knight also presides over the invisible and intangible connections that bind one person to another, that hold society and civilization together, and that bring order from chaos.

The Knight is a physical god, a god of the body and the needs of everyday life. Even households which are otherwise dedicated solely to another god will usually still have a small shrine for the Knight.

Those who seek shelter, security, and protection often turn to the Knight. They may simply pray to him or they may join or otherwise support an appropriate Blood Fellowship. He is a god of communities of all kind, and a god of networking, who smiles on the forging of new relationships, especially friendships. Because of this, he is also regarded as a god of cooking, because of how food can bring people together as a village. This idea may be most strongly displayed in the observation of Midsummer’s Bleed (see below).

The concept of leadership is often associated with the Knight. In some cultures, far more commonly in the past, it was tradition for a ruler to anoint his or her most loyal vassals with a dot of his or her own blood, figuratively binding them to the ruler’s will, as surely limbs of the same body are bound to work as one.

**Major Holiday(s):**

Midsummer’s Bleed is a period of communal gathering and sharing that is held in the month of Cancer. There are many different traditions and activities which can be associated with the festival, the purpose of which is almost always to give up something of one’s own to strengthen the community as a whole. The most famous and widespread is, of course, related to food: all but the poor are expected to bring a dish to the event so that a potluck dinner can be held.

This holiday may be celebrated among families, especially those which are otherwise geographically separated from each other. For many centuries now it has been the custom for non-essential industries to relieve their employees for two days before and two days after the festival in order to give them time to reach a central gathering point for their families; this time has shrunk for many people as transportation has grown faster.

Midsummer’s Bleed is also widely-celebrated among groups at many different scales. Towns, organizations, and neighborhoods frequently hold Midsummer’s Bleeds, and even some businesses are known to do it. The Midsummer’s Bleed feast is commonly dedicated to a particular deceased individual (or small group of individuals) who are significant in some way to those attending: this may be an ancestor, a town founder, a folk hero, or someone else.

**Churches and Cults:**

The most prominent organization (it would be a stretch to call it a church) dedicated to the Knight is the Blood Fellowship. This group is a general collection of all the various people who have made Blood Oaths with the Knight (see below). Coming from all walks of society and every social stratum, the Blood Fellows are well known for their active philanthropy, religious dedication, and organizational efficiency.

The Blood Fellowship is a tightly-knit and secretive association, but certain aspects of the organization are widely known. Their shared habits and symbolism transcend time, culture, language, and even planet, and members often claim that they were drawn to one another, as though by invisible thread. Blood Fellows often reach such a level of devotion that they forsake their previous lives to support one another, and,  similar to some unrelated Bard cults, they often refer to each other as “brother” or “sister” (“fellow” is the gender-neutral term), and refer to the Knight as “Father Blood.” They are well known for the practice of greeting one another by mingling blood, and in general regard each other with great intimacy and intensity. Only extremely rarely do they have children of their own.

As detailed below, there are several cults which refer to the Moon as the Knight’s Eye. The Folk of the Sunrise take this a step further and identify the Moon and the Knight together. According to them, the Moon is the Knight, and all other appearances of the Knight are merely earthly avatars of his presence. In his true nature as the Moon he is, moreover, referred to as the Sylph’s Eye more than as the Knight of Blood: Just as the Knight is a projection of a divine celestial object, so too is that object a projection of a greater one: the Sylph of Space, Mother Sun.

While many churches believe that the Knight of Blood played an essential role in the creation of the universe, a small cult calling themselves the Ambrosians believe that he played the only role there was. In the time before time, it is said in their scripture, the Knight of Blood was alone. Out of a desire for company he created the eleven gods, but they were not well-suited to the empty void in which they dwelt, and so he created a universe for them to inhabit.

**Prayer and Worship:**

The Knight is a “household god,” commonly referred to and given worship in the regular course of events. He is often evoked in common vernacular whenever something broken needs fixing, and his sigil decorates many a domestic shrine. Most prayers to the Knight are given at night, under the moon. In some traditions, crescent-shaped baked goods are offered, especially during festivals or in times of need.

In the Zodiac Church, Knight services generally involve meditation to pungent incense and slow, steady drumming, sometimes kept up for extended periods of time. It’s not unusual for services to incorporate line and circle dancing as well, in which the congregation dances in scripted patterns, coordinating their footsteps and making each movement in unity.

One tradition, originating in Africa but quickly spreading to other parts of the world, is to gather in ‘smoke houses’ to pray to the Knight. Inside a smoke house, herbs, incense, and fragrant wood are burned to generate a thick haze, or else water is boiled to create a steamy sauna. There, devotees meditate, turning their focus inward with the goal of achieving enough self-control to manipulate otherwise-involuntary systems such as heart rate or even small changes in body temperature. Some physical discomfort is usually expected in the smoke house, due to the heavy smoke or the extreme humidity, and this is considered a distraction that must be overcome to master meditation. As a result, the most devoted smoke house worshipers have a reputation for being exceptionally steadfast and hardy.

Some obscure cults emphasize the ‘overcoming suffering’ aspect of Knight-worship, intentionally pushing their bodies to the edge of endurance during smoke house prayer. Participants in these rituals are sometimes called “Sufferers.”

In the modern day, some new traditions have emerged that burn psychoactive drugs in smoke houses, but more traditionalist churches condemn these as “new age hedonistic poppycock.” [citation needed]

One of the most important concepts in worshiping the Knight is that of the Blood Oath. Blood Oaths are promises consecrated by the Knight, and made using his full title and sacred name. Also called Blood Swearing, making a Blood Oath is no light matter, and in most societies using the Knight’s name in vain is particularly taboo.

Blood Oaths are not promises made to another person, but rather a pact made between the oathbound and the Knight. As a general rule, Blood Oaths are not promises that can be finished and done with. They are not quests that have an end. Rather, Blood Oaths are states of being, ways of living, and tasks that continue for the rest of the oathbound’s life, bar highly unusual circumstances. During Swearing, the oath-maker invokes the name and title of the Knight, and outlines the promise and the penalty that would be unleashed for breaking it. To prove their sincerity, the oath-maker sheds a drop of their own blood. The Knight then decides whether or not to accept the oath, a decision that the oathbound claim they are aware of instantly. If he does accept, the oathmaker becomes oathbound.

An important note is that Blood Oaths and their penalties do not stop with the death of the oathbound, but rather continue down their bloodline, inherited both by any children, and by any who consider the oathbound their ancestor or progenitor. If the oathbound ancestor is forgotten or rejected from the family, then the Blood Oath dies out.

Blood Oaths are well known for having the side effect of attracting oathbound mortals together, forming a Blood Fellowship, united in their service to the Knight. This service is not abstract, but very real, as all oathbound must serve the Knight should he call on them. In effect, they become a standing reserve, a sleeping army waiting for the clarion call of the God of Blood. Throughout history, very few have witnessed this occurring, but these few speak of the oathbound becoming strange and inhuman in their mannerisms, and of ignoring anything that could distract from their task.

The Lodges, or “Houses of the Knight” kept by the Blood Fellowship, are very rarely entered by outsiders, and details on the services that go on within them are fragmentary. Often, drumming can be heard emitting from within the Lodges’ walls.

**Lore:**

Often spoken of in the same breath as the Sylph of Space, the Knight is said to be her servant, bodyguard, or champion. Sometimes, he is rumored to be her lover, but but reputable sources disagree.

What is agreed upon by almost all traditions is that the Knight aided the Sylph in birthing the cosmos, perhaps in the manner of a ‘midwife,’ perhaps as keeping the Sylph safe as she labored, or perhaps simply as a herald of its birth. Some obscure interpretations describe the Knight as literally cleaning up the blood of birth and spinning it into a rope that allowed the gods to climb into the living universe.

It is held by many minor traditions that the Knight of Blood lives on the Moon, which has been poetically referred to as the Knight’s Eye. Even the Zodiac Church holds that it has a special significance for him.  While only the most fringe believers hold that the Moon is a physical incarnation or part of the Knight, it is said that the Knight watches over all the deeds of humankind from his post on the Moon and reports back to the Sylph on what he has seen. He delivers his reports once a month, traditionally during the New Moon (it was once believed that the Moon disappeared because it was not being used).

A common pattern in stories about the Knight are humorous tales about him walking amongst mortals, becoming involved with a local problem, and suddenly revealing himself (either purposefully or accidentally) at the least opportune moment.

**Public Relations:**

The Knight is said to often walk  amongst the people of many worlds, disguised as a traveller in a plain cloak that hides his unusually small horns. In such a disguise, he learns about what his followers need, and what they lack

When the Knight appears publicly, which is comparatively frequently, he invariably draws a tremendous crowd. The passion, verbosity, complexity, and volume of his addresses are held up as an ideal for public speakers everywhere.  He is recorded as remarking, amongst various other disparaging comments, that he enjoys public speaking.

The Knight is a wanderer by nature, but he is quick to take up any offer of shelter from a follower during his travels. As a result, more people have claimed to have had personal encounters with the Knight than with any other god.


	7. The Rogue of Heart

> "I hate and love. And why, perhaps you'll ask. I don't know: but I feel, and I'm tormented."
> 
> -Catullus

**Names & Epithets**

Lady Heartbreak; The Queen of the Bow; the Opener of the Womb; The Soothing Herb; Goddess of Poisoned Sweetmint; She who is of Heaven and Earth; She Who Forgives Sins; She Who Sends Messages of Desire; Lady of Ecstasy; The Fair Lady

**Symbolism**

The Symbol of the Rogue of Heart, written instead of her name, is ♌, the sign of Leo.

The Sigilof Heart is is a stylized heart divided in two, with one side hollowed out.

The colors associated with the Rogue of Heart are magenta and pink, and her sacred color is olive green.

Other symbols associated with the Rogue of Heart are the rose (of both red and black jade varieties), the suits of playing cards and the tarot (or rather they are associated with her), cats of any kind, paint, and people with animal features.

**Appearance/Portrayal**

The Rogue usually appears as a curvaceous woman in the prime of life, with short, curly hair and large green eyes. Her thick, conical horns stick straight up from her head. She has prominent fangs, and is described as having a cleft lip. Uniquely amongst the gods, she is sometimes seen with a long blue-furred tail, like that of a cat. The length of her claws is greatly exaggerated in most portrayals. She often wears her godhood adorned with symbols of the tarot or the poker suite, along with her sigil. She may also wear furs.

In some minor traditions, the Rogue is seen carrying a bow and arrows, but hardly ever actually drawing or firing it. Some parables mention this bow as firing the arrows that strike the heart upon losing a beloved companion. She sometimes clutches a dripping paintbrush, or in some traditions a stylized rose, in her hands or teeth. The paint is either red or black, and some claim the red paint is supposed to be blood.

**Domain/Associations**

Ask most devotees, and they will say that the Rogue of Heart is a goddess of love. However, it seems that the true domain of the Rogue is more complex than that.  She governs emotions both positive and negative, and, more deeply, all experiences of being. All subjective experience falls under her purview, and in this sense, so does all feeling and all sense. When looking at the many feats that the Rogue has accomplished, most theologians can only conclude that she dallies mainly with romance only because she finds that most interesting.

The Rogue is somewhat of a trickster and meddler, one who takes delight in the workings of the mortal world but also enjoys interfering with it. The Rogue is a playful goddess, and her playthings are the lives and emotions of mortals. She can make you feel the emotions of another, change your life and open your heart and fill it or empty it as she pleases.

The Rogue is associated with diplomacy, with empathy, and with making peace. If the mood strikes her, she can truly allow one to walk a mile in another’s shoes, and turn conflicts into compromise.

Due to her association with one’s heart as the core of one’s being, the Rogue is considered a patron of those who desire to take on the aspects of another being, and as such is linked to dysphoria and to otherkin.

The Rogue is also loosely connected to divination and card games, usually those that involve more skill than chance. She is also associated with the “Leonine” school of art, specializing in realism, chaotic and complex designs, organic patterns, and muted, naturalistic colors.

**Major Holiday(s):**

The most widely-celebrated holiday honoring the Rogue is the Day of Hearts, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Leo. On this day, lovers exchange pieces of meat with each other, especially hearts. In modern times it can be celebrated by the exchange of chocolate (but still anatomically correct) hearts. This alternative practice was begun by vegetarians not more than a century ago but has steadily gained in popularity among those who would prefer chocolate to meat. Some (mostly those in the butchery profession) claim that the Rogue disapproves of the change, but it continues all the same.

Both romantic love and romantic rivalry are celebrated at this time (though it is widely acknowledged that the latter is rare in humans). Engagements are made and weddings performed on the Day of Hearts, which is said to be “the day when the beasts are betrothed.” Over the course of history lovers have observed the holiday by gathering flowers (various traditions have their own flower languages), played cards, and divined the future (especially of their relationships) through the reading of entrails.

While not as popular, the fourteenth day of other months are also dedicated to the Rogue in some manner, usually in a way which connects it to the patron deity of that month. These fortnight days are described briefly below:

The Day of Memoriam, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Aries, celebrates the love we hold in one’s heart for those who have departed from one’s life.

The Day of Spring Awakening, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Taurus, celebrates first love.

The Day of Satisfaction, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Gemini, celebrates one’s labors of love, the works that one is proud to have completed.

The Day of the Joined, celebrated on the Fourteenth of Cancer, celebrates the ties which bond  individuals together, especially ties of family.

The Day of Passions, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Virgo, celebrates the aspects of life that spur the heart to joy.

The Day of Benevolence, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Libra, celebrates the all-encompassing love for the world as a whole.

The Day of Partnership, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Scorpio, celebrates those who are lucky enough to have found their soulmate, and who have maintained their relationship for many years.

The Day of Serenity, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Sagittarius, celebrates finding love and acceptance within oneself.

The Day of Lust, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Capricorn, celebrates fleeting love and attraction. It is characterized by bacchanals.

The Day of Heart-Bearing, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Aquarius, encourages  the lovelorn to confess their feelings to the objects of their affections.

The Day of Pairing, which is celebrated on the Fourteenth of Pisces, celebrates fecundity and fertility.

**Churches and Cults:**

In the Zodiac cosmology, the Rogue of Heart is often seen as a trickster and instigator, often interfering with the other gods’ plans with little apparent motivation. However, despite all her foibles, she is honored and worshipped as the one who breathes meaning into life with the gift of emotion.

Many of the Rogue’s minor cults, such as the Lunar Candle and the Church of the Rose Mandate, originate in Eastern Asia. A great many, regardless of the place of their origin, are shamanic or revolve around transformation motifs. Cults like the Constant Celebrants of the Melody pray to the Rogue of Hearts to take away their souls for a time and bequeath them to animals. Meditation and psychedelics are two of the tools used to supplement this process.

Most cults which ascribe a preeminent creative role to one of the gods select the Knight of Blood, the Sylph of Space, or the Witch of Life. The Gathering of Ayaka, however, worships the Rogue of Heart as She Who Begets All, a supreme creatrix goddess who formed the universe by falling in love with it, and came to love it by assigning names to all of its parts (while they were as-yet unformed, presumably). They, as well as many other cults, refer to her as the Goddess of Goddesses, and hold that she rules over the other gods as their mother and queen.

The Rogue is often seen as a patron of the dysphoric, and members of the trans* community often invoke the Rogue in explaining how their hearts rest in the wrong body, or pray to her for salvation. This form of worship is currently only loosely organized, but is growing more prominent in the public eye.

**Prayer and Worship:**

In the Zodiac Church and elsewhere, rituals practiced in the name of the Rogue are nearly always accompanied by infused drinks. In modern times the most common drink is tea, but maté, tisane (also known as herbal tea), and certain styles of coffee have been and still are in vogue around the world. Tea drinking is associated with the Rogue even when not incorporated into a ritual, and  in general holds romantic and sacred connotations. These tea ceremonies are said to be symbolic of how the Rogue ‘infuses’ life and gives it flavor with the joys and pains of emotion.

Tea ceremonies are held regularly in many societies across the world. These ceremonies are full of precise etiquette, though the details vary from culture to culture. One unifying feature, however, is that there is always a place set out for the Rogue, a cup and a place to sit and so on. Before the ceremony begins, she is invited with the invocation of her title, and until the affair has concluded her title will continue to be repeated, sometimes with purpose and sometimes solely for the sake of uttering it. In this way her attention is repeatedly called to the ceremony, and it is believed that, even if she is not physically present, she is still there in spirit. When tempers may flare but cool heads are desperately needed (during diplomatic negotiations, for example), this ceremony makes it more likely that all parties involved will bite their tongues.

On rare occasions during these ceremonies, the Rogue makes a personal appearance. This is why it is of the utmost importance that there actually be a place set out for her; there are several notorious stories about the wrath has been poured out when she has discovered that someone has invoked her title in vain.

An older method of honoring the Rogue can be seen echoed in many hunter-gatherer traditions, including australian aboriginal and first nations peoples. This is the shamanic tradition of soul questing, whereby a long, complex, and often exhausting ritual is performed with the purpose of calling the Rogue, or sometimes symbolically taking on aspects of the Rogue, so as to take in, accept, and become one with the hearts of animals or other people (sometimes members of another tribe, sometimes mythological figures or ancestors). Wearing furs, eating raw meat, painting the body, and dressing as the animals or beings to be merged with are all part of these rituals. Some view this soul-sharing as a way of gaining greater knowledge or of traversing the invisible realm of spirits. Others are attempting to extend the blessings of the human mind to their animal kin, or the inverse. In a few obscure traditions, such soul quests were performed only by the betrothed before marriage, in order to make their two lives into one.

Although rarely practiced today in their full form, soul questing has found expression in modern culture, often as a part of smaller denominations. Dressing and acting like respected or beloved animals or characters, especially during pageants, parties, or parades, is growing in popularity, and becoming more respectable even in the Zodiac Church.

**Lore:**

Most theologians agree that the Rogue is well-named. Alternately kind-hearted and cold, she is said to be capable of fulfilling a worshipper’s wildest fantasies, as well as shattering their life and stripping it of everything they ever cared about. She is fickle, curious, and powerful, much like the felines she holds sacred. It is said that when a mortal is struck by sudden infatuation, they are “In Her Claws,” and any human who finds the deep dark place in their heart, the strange black thrill of lusting after an enemy, is said to be one of her special chosen.

Many conflicts great and small have been sparked by the Rogue’s dalliances with mortals, of which there have been many. Some have killed at her orders, and others in order to draw her attentions. As much as she is known for filling the hearts of mortals with love, she has also been responsible for filling them with sharpened steel.

In India it is said that there was once a feud between three of the gods: the Rogue of Heart, the Thief of Light, and the Sylph of Space. As they were debating amongst themselves as to which of them was the greatest, they passed by a prince named Shripati, to whom they posed the question. Each of them promised a boon for him, but to their shared surprise he asked that instead, after parting ways, they each spill out their power over whoever they next met. After doing so he declared the Sylph of Space to be the greatest of the gods, for she alone was free from fickleness, as surely as the sun shone the same from day to day.

The Sylph and Thief went their way, and each of them met and blessed a beggar. The Rogue, however, was filled with anger.On her way, she came upon the queen of a neighboring kingdom. She too poured out her power upon the man but instead of blessing her with love, as she had promised to Shripati, she filled the heart of this queen with hatred for the prince. The resultant wars became the subject of many legends and poems.

In Albania the Vikramites speak of their namesake, Vikram Bala, who fell in love with the Rogue and determined that he would marry no other being. To his sorrow, however, his parents arranged his marriage to the young daughter of an influential and wealthy family, and in despair he cried out to the Rogue, whom he had never before had the courage to speak to. Touched by his dedication, but not driven to passion, she turned him into a rose so that he would not have to marry.

It is sometimes said that the Rogue, though she can satisfy other’s hearts or ruin them, can never fill her own. Some even theorize that, despite the many romantic entanglements she engages in and creates for mortal and divinity alike, the Rogue is actually the loneliest of the gods.

**Public Relations:**

The Rogue of Heart is a highly polarizing goddess, an object of fear for some and desire for others. However, most everyone pays her great respect.

Her public appearances are erratic, and she is known to stay near the same place for long periods of time, for months or even years, then vanish from the face of the planet, appearing somewhere else months or years later. She gives no warning and does not appear to have any pattern to her appearances, but neither does she shy away from the public eye. Many report that she even seems to enjoy attention, and she often attracts a crowd.


End file.
